The honourable tradition of non-existence: issues of Irish identity in the music and writings of raymond deane

This chapter interrogates representations and constructions of gender and race that are promoted in contemporary Irish-Celtic music production. Definitions of Celticity are conventionally associated with regions/nations that retain minority languages sharing a common 'Celtic' linguistic root. In contemporary contexts, the use of the term 'Gaelic' might still connote an adherence to conservative and isolationist Irish values and may also signal an essentialist conception of Irish culture. Articulations of the genre can include combinations of materials and performance practices drawn from vocal styles in English-and Irish-language song traditions, modal harmonies in a cappella settings and synthesized or 'techno-acoustic' instrumental resources. As is the case with other music styles and 'scenes', festivals play a pivotal role in constructing and maintaining contemporary ideas of Celtic music. The deterritorialization and rebranding of Irish music products for global markets has led to a situation where increasingly the identity of the music's original production base comes to be reshaped from outside.